Separator for automatic plate-feeding mechanisms



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Mar. 13, 1923.

' E. c. POOL SEPARATOR FOR AUTOMATIC PLATE FEEDING MECHANISMS lZfmsses:

Mar. 13,1923.

E. C. POOL SEPA'RATOR FOR AUTOMATIC PLATE FEEDING MECHANISMS Fi led May 28, 5 shee ts-sheet 2 Z 3 a M WM 1m 5 am w Vine-986$:

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

warren STATES ELMER C. POOL, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEPARATOR FOR AUTOMATIC PLATE-FEEDING MECHANISMS.

Original application filed November 26, 1920, Serial No. 426,627. Divided and this application filed May 28, 1921. Serial No. 473,462.

To all whom it may concem: 4

Be it known that I, ELMER C. Poon, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separators for Automatic" Plate-Feeding Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manipulation of metal sheets and plates, and more particularly to the feeding of such sheets or plates from a pile, one at a time, to a tinning machine, and has for one of its objects it the provision of an improved feeding mechanism of the class described in my co-pending application, Serial Number 426,627, filed November 26, 1920, of which this application is adivision.

In automatically feeding metal plates successively by magnetic feeding devices or otherwise, two or more plates are often carried upward by the feeding device, and when these plates enter the tinning machine the plates are not properly tinned and must be scrapped. With the present invention, means are provided for separating two or more plates should they be fed together by the feeding device.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improved feeding mechanism applied to a tinning machine.

Figure 2 is a top plan thereof. Figure 3 is a rear elevation thereof. Figure 4 is a detail view of the magnetic plate separator.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates a tinning pot, in itself an old 10 and approved form. The pot is separated transversely by a vertical wall or partition 2, into compartments B and C. "The lower edge of this partition or septum 2, which terminates above the bottom of the tinning pot, and the upper edge of a rib or projection 3 on the bottom of the pot defines the width or vertical dimension of a narrow passage or opening D, through which the plates, while submerged in the bath of 50.molten tin, pass from the compartment B into the compartment C of the pot A. The

particular pot shown is of a widthwhich permits of two or more plates, side by side, being passed through the tinning pot.

as Located immediately above the upper edge of the compartment B, at the plate entering side of the tinning pot, are two sets of feed rollers E and F, which are arranged to receive the plates from my improved feeding mechanism to be described, and to move them forwardly and downwardly into thetin' pot at an angle to the horizontal.

The feed rollers F are at a somewhat lower level than the rollers E, and an adjustable roller G is located on the discharge side of the set F to guide and direct the front end of the successive plates forwardly and downwardly and into the molten tin in compartment B, as they emerge from between the rollers F.

Positioned within the compartment B, closely adjacent to the passage D, is a set of pressure rolls I. These'pressure rolls feed the plates from. compartment B into the compartment C.

Two sets of feed-out rollers J and K are provided in the compartment C of pot A to feed-out the plates and also to squeeze off surplus tin from the plates. 1

An inclined apron plate 10 is provided at the entrance end of' the compartment B of the pot to receive the plates as they are delivered from my improved feeding mechanism. Other guide plates 12 and 13, are arranged to guide the plates to the rolls F and I, and curved guide plates 14 and 14' form a guide N which directs the forward end of the plates emerging from the set of pressure rolls Iupwardly into the bite of the lower set J of the feed-out rollers J and K.

My improved feeding mechanism is adapted to be located directly to the rear of the tinning pot and comprises a double set of parts-arranged side by side so as to act on two piles of plates at one time, thereby feeding two plates, side by side, into the tinning machine.

A framework or supporting structure 16 is secured to and extends rearwardly from the tinning pot A and suppofisthe several parts comprising my feeding mechanism. A bosh 0r receptacle 17 is secured to and extends below the framework 16 and is adapted to contain a vertically adjustable plate ile holder. The plate holder comprises a ck rest member 19 which is secured to the back wall of the bosh 17 and pro'ects inwardly and downwardly on an angle, so as to slidably support an L-shaped plate retainer which is of sufficient width to hold two piles of plates side by side. The plate retainer 20 is adjustably held in position and 5 adapted to be vertically adjusted by mearis of a pair of chains 21, one of which is secured on each end thereof and passes upwardly over suitable sheaves 22 splined on a 'shaft 23. This shaft is journaled in the bosh and has a ratchet and dog operating mechanism 24 on one end, outside of the thereof is a bracket 25 supporting a shaft' 26, having four arms 27 loosely mounted thereon for pivotal movement.

The arms 27 have a pair of cylindrical magnetic plate lifters Y j ournaled and supported in their lower ends, and the center arms have their upper ends counterweighted by adjustable counter-weights 29 mounted on a pro ecting arm 30. A locking lever 31 is pivoted on the arms 27, having the counter- Weights adjacent their upper ends, and this lever is provided with a notch 32 to engage with the projecting tongue 33 on the frame 16 so as to hold the magnetic plate lifters Y out oftheir'plate engaging position when desired.

Each magnetic plate lifter Y comprises a permanent magnetic member 34 mounted Within a pair of hollow cylindrical casings 35 which have their inner ends spaced apart and joined by a non-magnetic hollow cylindrlcal tabular member 36. Stub shafts 37, threaded into the outer ends of the casings 35, support the whole structure in suitablebearings formed in the lower ends of the arms 27.

The hollow cylindrical casing members 35 are formed of soft iron or other material which will readily convey the circuit or attracting forces from the permanent magnet 34, thus forming unlike poles through which a circuit will be completed when they contact with a plate.

The outer surface or periphery of the members 35 is fluted, forming a series of knife edge ribs or projections 39. It will thus be seen that each of the ribs or projections 39 will successively engage a plate as the magnet is rotated, .tnd that projections on the opposite casings will form opposite or unlike pole contacts, and that such projections will contact with the face of the outermost plate of the pile in the retainer 20. The effect of the knife edge contacts will be to concentrate the forces of the magnet in the immediate plate and'prevent the spreading "of the forces through and into the next adjoining plates.

Suitable cross-beams 40 ;40f are arranged from one end of the'frame support 16 to the other immediately above the upper edge of the bosh, and carry suitable curved guide strips 4142 arranged to form an upwardly and inwardly inclined passageway to guide the plates being conveyed.

A second pair of cross-beams 43-43 are arranged forward and above the cross-beams 40, and carry other guide strips 44-45 form- 'ing a second passage-way adapted to receive the plates from the passage-way between the strips 4142, and direct them forwardly and upwardly between suitable pinch rollers 46 and 47 of any well-known construction.

The lower one of the pair of pinch rollers shaft 26 at the same speed. It will be un-= derstood that if found desirable in practice, one set of drive sprockets may be used on the one side of the machine.

A pair of sprockets 50 of somewhat smallerdiameter than the sprockets 48, 48*, 48 is mounted on the ends of the shaft 26, and a sprocket 51, of greater diameter than sprockets 50, is mounted on the end of the outside stub shafts 37 of each magnetic conveyer. 'A link chain 52 is trained over the sprockets 50 and 51 to constantly drive the conveyer members, which will necessarily revolve at a lesser speed than the pinch rollers E and pinch rollers 46, 47, due to the difference in size of the sprockets 50 and 51.

a A cross-beam 54, arranged forward of the rollers 46-47, has two pairs of suitably spaced depending lugs 55 which support pivot rods or shafts 56 adapted to have guide plates 57 pivotally supported thereon. The plates 57 have a crank arm 58 secured thereto which abuts the cross-beam 54 when the plate is in its lowermost position, and the crank arm carries a counterweighted lever 59 to normally hold it in such position.

Supported on suitable cross-beams 60 forward of the hinged plates 57, and in proximity thereto, is a pair of guide plates 61. The plates 61 are formed of top and bottom pointed portions, the top portion being directed forwardly over the rollers E and the bottom portion directed downwardly and forwardly to the passage between the rollers E.

The inclined apron 10 of the tinning pot is arranged below the plates 57 and 61, and completes the passage-way to the rollers E.

The hinged counterweighted guide plates 57 serve as a trap so that when more than one plate or sheet is carried through the pinch rollers 4647 they will bear against the guide plate 57 with suficient force to 64 and are provided with blades or knife edge 7 counteract the effect of the counterweighted lever 59 and raise the guide plate, thereby allowing such plurality of plates or sheets to pass over the dual guide plates 61 and away from the tinning pot.

Magnetic separators X are mounted above each of the magnetic plate lifters Y and comprise a rectangular casing member 63 pivotally supported on the cross-beam 40. The casings 63 contain a permanent magnet poles 65 which extend into the path of the lifted plates and contact with the rear faces thereof. The magnet 64 is of less strength than the magnets of the plate lifter Y, and, therefore, will not materially retard the movement of the plates, yet is of sufiicient strength that if two plates should stick or in some manner be lifted together, it will retard the movement of the secondplate, and thus separate them. a

A still further means for preventing the feeding of more than a single plate into the tinning pot is located just to the rear of the pinch rollers 46-47, and comprises a shaft 67 journaled in the frame support 16 and having a plurality of locking fingers 68 of triangular shape secured thereon, and of such size that their flat sides will extend past the guide strips and into the path of the lifted plates. As the plates are guided between the strips 44 and 45, they will bear against the upper strips 45- due to their direction of travel, and in thisposition they will strike the fingers 68 and cause the shaft and fingers to rotate one-third. of a revolution, thereby presenting one of the other faces of the fingers against the plate. If a second plate is overlapped on the first in such a manner that its forward edge is disposed to the rear of the forward edge of the first plate, it will strike the fingers and be held, since the fingers can not again rotate until the first plate has, passed from under and is clear ofthe fingers.

Another feature and function of these fingers is that they will cause an even feed of the plates from both of the magnetic feed rollers Y, since if one roller feeds a plate.

in advance of the other, the first to reach or strike the fingers 68 will rotate them the onethird turn, and then look them against rotation until it has passed from thereunder, and the plate that is in the rear will be held until the fingers are again freed when another plate will be presented by the other magnetic feed roller to follow the one just clearing the fingers, thus causing the newly presented plate, and the held plate to pass together to the rollers 4647.

The operation of my improved feeding mechanism will be readily understood from the above description taken with the acoompanying drawings. Thepeculiar and novel construction of magnetic plate lift will cause the magnetic forces to be concentrated on a single plate of the pile and will lift it through the guide passages to the pinch rollers 46-47, which will in turn feed it to the pinch rollers E of the tinning pot.

The operations of. the three separate mechanisms for preventing mole than one plate being carried to the tinning pot, have also been fully described above, and will not be gone into again, although these mechanisms are important features and are distinct improvements over any devices heretofore known.

It will be readily understood that while I have described my invention in combination with a tinning pot, it is not limited to such, use, but may be used wherever it is desired to feed plates singly, and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to such a combination.

It will also be understood that while I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention with great particularity, I do not wish nor do I intend to limit my invention to such structure, since various modifications in structure and combination of parts may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, wound active magnets may be substituted for the permanent magnets shown, or other such substitution of equivalents made as found necessary or desirable.

It will also be further understood that this apparatus may be used to feed plates from a horizontal pile. That is, the plates may be moved longitudinall or sidewise from a horizontal pile, and t e Words lifted, or lifting, as used in the several claims will be understood to include this movement.

I claim 1. In an automatic plate feeding mechanism, means for feeding'plates from a pack, and a magnetic separator member projecting into the path of travel of the plates being fed from the pack, said separator member being adapted to engage the rear face of the plate being fed, and to hold any plates other than the plate engaged by said feeding means. I

2. In an automatic plate, feeding mechanism, means for feeding plates from a pack, a magnetic separator member extending into the path of travel of the plates being fed from the packand adapted to yieldably engage the opposite face from that engaged by the feeding means and to exert a counter pull thereon, said magnet being of such strength as to not materially retard the movement of the plate, but being sufficient to hold back a second plate if two he stuck together and so moved from the pile together.

-3. In an automatic plate feeding mechanism, a magnetic plate feeder, a magnetic separator member extending into the path of travel of the plates being fed from the pack and adapted to yieldably engage the opposite face from that engaged by the feeding means and to exert a counter pull thereon,

said magnet being of such strength as to not materially retard the movement of the plate, but being sufficient to hold back a second plate if two he stuck together and s0 moved from the pile together.

4. The combination with means for positively feeding single plates from a pack, of a magnetic separator adapted to extend into the path of the plates being fed and adapted to separate any plates stuck to and carried with the single plate being positively fed, said separator comprising casing members having knife-edge contacting portions, and a magnet member within said casings, said knife-edge contacting portions being adapted to form opposite poles for said magnet, said separator bein adapted to yieldably engage the plates fed by said feeding means and to retard any'plates otherthan the plate positively fed by saidfeeding means. 5. In an automatic plate feeding mechanism, means for feeding plates from a pack, magnetic means for separating two or more plates if they should be fed from the p'ack together by retarding the movement of the extra plates, and means for preventing the v feeding of overlapping plates, said last named means comprising stop members adapted to be actuated by the first plate and moved down so as to engage and hold a second overlapping plate until said first named plate has passed beyond said stop members.

6. The combination with a tinning pot for tinning metal plates, having suitable guideways arranged therein, of a pair of feeding rollers arranged at the entrance end of said guideways, other guideways to the rear and extending below said feed rollers, means for feeding plates from a pack upwardly through said last na'med guideways into engagement with said feed rollers, means for separating two or more plates if ping plate until said first plate has passed into the rolls.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

ELMER C. POOL. 

